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Weekly News August 23, 2010Description
Three Days in June 1935: My parents attended three “family” weddings on three consecutive days, June 20, 21, and 22, 1935, in perfect weather. I had a minor part in the one on June 21.
My father’s first cousin, Emilie Mitchell (1894-1962), married Gates C. Gilmore, a widower with four children, at the Mitchell farm on Little Baltimore Road on a Thursday afternoon, June 20. As was often the case, my mother helped decorate the house for the occasion. Emilie, just past 40, had kept house for her two bachelor brothers after the death of their parents in 1933. My guess is that less than 50 people attended the Quaker service. I do recall, however, that when the Mancill family joined us for six weeks at Southern Pines (North Carolina) in January and February of 1935, Aunt Anna Mancill (my father’s sister) received a letter from Emilie, saying that Gates had proposed and did Anna think she should accept. By return post, Aunt Anna told her “by all means.” Emilie helped Gates raise his son and three daughters, and she was a wonderful step-mother. They shared 27 years of marriage before Emilie’s untimely death.
Lorraine Edwards Marshall (1912-1974) married Stephen John Pyle (1909-1976) on the lawn at Woodcrest, the Warren Marshall home at Yorklyn in the early evening of Friday, June 21st. 300 guests were invited to the Quaker ceremony. My father was asked by his niece to read the Wedding Certificate (at a Quaker service, this takes the place of an ordained minister performing the marriage). Since it was in the open with no P/A amplification, my mother wanted to make sure he could be heard, so she made him rehearse. I can remember him standing by the hedge in front of Auburn Heights (today it would be on top of the railroad tunnel) reading while my mother was on the front porch, intent on hearing every word. The rehearsal dinner was held at Auburn Heights on June 20. On the wedding day, Aunt Bertha, mother of the bride, arranged for two or three harpists from Philadelphia to play in a clump of trees off to the side of the area where the guests were seated for the ceremony. Lorraine’s only sibling, her sister Eleanor, then 11 years of age, was too old to be a flower girl and too young to be a bridesmaid, so they decided she needed a male companion to walk down the aisle with her. You guessed it—her cousin Tommy was the same age and size. I took my job seriously, and I was told later I was supposed to smile.
Virginia Stuart of Harrisburg married Fritz Morgenthaler in a church wedding in the Pennsylvania capital on Saturday, June 22. Not quite family, her mother, Mary, was a member of the Walker family of Baltimore whose house there had been a second home to my mother when she was in nurses’ training at Union Memorial Hospital in that city during World War I. Our family had kept in close touch through the years with Mary and Allan Stuart, a Harrisburg dentist, and Mary’s sister, Naomi W. Horn, was one of my mother’s closest friends who visited Auburn Heights often, usually staying several days on each visit. My parents drove to Harrisburg for the wedding in my mother’s new Packard 120 sedan. In 1935, the 120 was the Packard Motor Company’s first serious attempt to break into the mid-priced market, and the car was advertised for just over $1,200, vs. about $2,500 for the cheapest full-sized Packard.
The three weddings were great successes and lasted “until death do us part.” The Pyles had seven children, all of whom are living. Robert Marshall Pyle (1944- ) is a member of F.A.H.P.
Recent News from Auburn Heights: On Tuesday night, Dan Citron took another group on a tour of the Marshall Brothers Paper Mill on Benge Rd. for a little local history and insight into the state of Delaware's future plans for the property. Bob Wilhelm, with assistance from Tom, presented a lecture on Stanley car operation and philosophy to Jerry Novak, Ted Kamen, Jeff Pollack, Jay Wilhelm, Mark Russell, and Tim Ward. One significant takeaway from the lecture ... to properly operate a Stanley today, it's important to try and understand the time in automotive history for which the car was designed and the expectations of the motoring public of 100 years ago.Bob Jordan worked on the boiler from the museum display, beginning the multicolor paint process with the goal of completing it before the Labor Day weekend event. Work continued on disassembling the engine from the Model K; project contributors included Jeff Pollack, Bill Schwoebel, Jim Personti, and Jeff Fallows. Art Wallace and Chuck Erikson continue cleaning the fender and running board brackets for the 607 project, as Ted Kamen works on the wheels.
Volunteers Jerry Lucas, Art Wallace, Richard Bernard, Bill Schwoebel, Steve Bryce and Dan Citron prepped the Stanley models EX, 87, 735 and 740 for the trip to Kinzers 62nd Annual Thresherman's Reunion last Friday. The day was a success overall, but continuing burner problems plagued the condenser cars, forcing the 735 to turn back early and sidetracking the 740 multiple times for temporary repairs.
Reminder to Drivers... Claim Your Car
If you would like to drive (or ride in) an Auburn Heights car to any of the following events, please contact Steve Bryce (sbryce@auburnheight.org) to stake your claim on a specific vehicle (or a passenger seat -- space is limited). Susan will be submitting all Hagley registrations to ensure that the Auburn Heights cars are listed and grouped together so please forward info to her (srandolph@auburnheights.org) after you've confirmed your car with Steve. Upcoming Events:
● Chadds Ford Days, Sat & Sun, Sept. 11 & 12 (2 Stanleys & 1 Packard needed each day -- period dress required)
● Mushroom Festival, Sat & Sun, Sept. 11 & 12 (2 Stanleys needed each day)
● Hagley Car Show, Sun Sept. 19
Help Us Steam Up Labor Day Weekend
September traditionally marks a VERY busy Steamin' Day, and we need volunteers to make it a success! Please e-mail Richard Bernard (rnbernardjr@hotmail.com) if you can help. ALL roles needed!
